The Benefits Of Coffee And Friends

Few things are as pleasant and relaxing as coffee and friends, especially the combination of these! Your problems soon seem to disappear like snow in the sun while enjoying good company and a cup of coffee (or tea).

Believe it or not, that cup of coffee or tea  is no longer just a ritual rooted in our culture. There are benefits of coffee and spending time with friends that are really good for the brain and your mood.

If you’ve never thought about it before, we’ll tell you more about it in today’s article and invite you to participate in this healthy activity. It  combines three great elements: coffee (or tea), fun and good friends.

The social aspects of coffee

Coffee is a stimulant and it has been an essential part of everyday life for centuries.

We’ve covered all the benefits of coffee before: it helps you wake up in the morning, it improves cognitive skills, it gives you energy and it even benefits your liver.

You may have never thought about the interesting social component of this dark drink that is so popular among the people. Let’s discuss this in more detail.

A hot drink and good company

Here’s an example: You’re done with work and it hasn’t been a good day. Stress, worry and tense nerves have led to an excess of cortisol and noradrenaline in your blood. This changes the basic functions of your body.

• Your heart beats faster, you have a stomachache, you are tired and your brain feels slower. Before you go home, call a friend to meet for a coffee in a cafe.
• You order the coffee and a nice conversation slowly starts. Every hot drink has a calming effect on the body, your breathing relaxes and the feeling of being rushed decreases. Your headache may even go away.

• Coffee and tea are also mild stimulants. This will help you focus on the conversation with your friends. Without noticing, you start talking about what’s bothering you.
• A hot drink relaxes the muscles and  stimulates you to be open,  communicate and open to positive emotions.
• When you slowly start laughing with your friends, the endorphins do the rest of the work: you start to feel better and your problems look a lot less serious.

Coffee and friends: how are you in the here and now

We live in a fast paced world that is becoming more and more demanding. It’s easier to focus on what you need to do in an hour or the next day than on what you’re doing right now.

The ritual of drinking coffee is a therapeutic session.  You simply learn to “be.” Nothing more, nothing less. Nothing else matters and you can allow yourself to just enjoy your drink, the conversation, the company and the fun.

This is important to remember.

The power of emotional anchors

Here’s another interesting point. Emotional anchors are specific moments that the mind distinguishes as positive and enriching in your memory. You can recall these memories during difficult moments.

• Let’s look at another example. You just had a great time with your friends over a cup of coffee. You’ve talked about everything, you’ve laughed, cried and given good advice.
• All these mixed feelings linger in the brain and create anchors to fall back on the next day if you’re having a bad day.
• It is enough to remember only those moments worth repeating, because there you will find the greatest reward and simple happiness.

Good moments are more powerful than bad moments

Your brain really seems to store positive and enjoyable moments precisely because they are positive. You can use these to fight the bad feeling about the bad moments

When your mental well-being is in order, positive aspects are more easily integrated into your memory than negative ones. This is because it helps you adapt to changing circumstances and move forward in life.

• Bad things can keep you captive. Therefore, it is a good idea to accept your mistakes, losses and mistakes and then distance yourself from them. So the dark shadow can no longer hold you.
• So something as simple and positive  as meeting up with friends to have coffee and talk about the day’s experiences is a great exercise for your mind.

These things remain in the storehouse of positive experiences. From that you can draw encouragement, strength and energy when life is not going so well.

Tell us, have you had coffee with your friends today?